Block flooring



Jan. 7, 1936. B. c. ROCKWELL ,2

BLOCK FLOORING Filed March 25, 1932' 3 Sheets-Sheet l H -40 Y r 35 [707wJan. 7, 1936. B. c. ROCKWELL BLOCK FLOORING Filed March 25, 1932 3Sheets-Sheet 2 minim Jan. 7, 1936. Q nog wg 2,027,292

BLOCK FLOORING Filed March 25, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 7, me

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,021,292 nnocx rnoonma Application March25, 1932, Serial No. 601,257

' r 7 Claims. (01. 20-23) This invention relates to the art of-woodenblock flooring construction. Heretofore it has been conventionalpractice to construct such flooring of blocks made up of matchedparallel 5 strips or sections laid with separately applied edge orborder strips between the block units.

It is a seriously objectionable characteristic of such flooring thatunder climatic conditions of high or considerably variant humidity thewood 10 will increase its moisture content with consequent expansion anddistortion of the floor. The average moisture content of the flooringmaterial most widely used is approximately eight per cent. Underprotracted dampness such lumber adds at 15 times as high as flve'percent additional, moisture.

Ina ten inch floor block such addition will cause an expansion ofthree-sixteenths of 'an inch. Over a floor where hundreds 01 blocks arelaid there is inevitable buckling and distortion under 20 suchconditions.

Specially constructed spacer strips have been proposed as an expansioncompensating means but the use of such, as well as other expedientsinvolving separately laid or applied means, en-

25 tails much higher labor and material cost than in the case of simplylaying block unitsalone.

It isan object of this invention to provide a flooring construction madeup of block units having self-contained expansion compensating 39 means.1

Another object is the provision of such a floors ing wherein theself-contained expansion compensating means provides a block unit borderthroughout a floor.

35 A further object is the provision of a method of forming floor blockshaving self-contained exshall not constitute limitations inconsistentwith v the scope of the invention as claimed. Figure 1 of the drawingsis a plan view of a section of block flooring as constructed inaccordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is an extended plan view illustrating the assembly of blocks asshownin Figure 1. Figures 3 and 4 are, respectively, perspectives ofblock units employed.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section similar to Figure 5 but illustrating analternative embodiment.

Figure? is a section similar to Figure 5 and illustrating anotheralternative embodiment. s

Figure 8 is a'plan view of a flooring section wherein an alternativestructure of block unit is used.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective of a block section having adhesivematerial applied to 10 the tongue thereof.

Figures 10 and 11 are, respectively, perspectives of further alternativeblock unit embodiments.

Figure 12 is a longitudinal section through the blocks of Figures 10 and11 as assembled. 15

Figure 13 is a bottom horizontal section of part of a flooring made upof the units of Figures 10 and ll.

In accordance with this invention floor blocks are made up of shortlengths of standard flooring strips, each block being rectangular; inthis instance square; and consisting of a plurality of sections,generally three or four depending upon the width of strip materialfromwhich the sections are cut.

As best shown in Figure 3, a block I0 comprises three sections Iliadisposed in parallel relation in the usual tongue and groove engagement.A feature of the invention is the manner oi uniting the sections into ablock unit through the medium of a glue or cementitious bindingagentlightly applied as a strip H, Figure 9, over the side tongue I! of eachabutting section. If desired, the binder may be applied to the groove ofa section. Each section is end tenoned to provide end tongue portions 13which form in the block unit a tongue I! on two opposite edges thereof,while the remaining opposite edges are formed with grooves l5 of theusual depth.

Seated on the upper face of each tongue I and contacting the block faceis a strip of resilient material l6, preferably cork, although it may beof rubber or some other elastic or compressible substance. Preferablythe resilient strip is rigidly secured in position by a strong adhesivebinder. These strips it are rectangular in cross section, and theyproject at each end beyond the block face a distance equal to theirwidth. V

In conjunction with ,/the block unit just described there is employedanother type of block unit, shown in Figure 4.\ Such a block ll consistsof sections Ila which are identical with the sections "la of a block l0,having identical end tenons l8 forming a tongue IS on two opposed edgesof the block and being grooved on the remaining the various block unitsIn and II are disposed in such manner that the respective block unitsections Illa and 11a are at'right angles. In consequence each plainside edge block faceabuts the resilient strip of the immediatelyadjacent block. Due to the fact that in lumber where the grain runslongitudinally of a strip expansion is lateral and is negligiblelongitudinally, the expansive force of each block is directed against aresilient strip which is backed by a substantially constant wallsurface, the expansion resultant of each block being directed at a rightangle to the resultant of each immediately adjacent block.

In addition, the resilient strip members 2| nest within the projectingends of the strip members l6, providing interlocking joints andestablishing absolute straight line continuity of the resilient stripmaterial across the entire floor, such material bordering each blockunit on all sides thereof. This border continuity is clearly shown inFigure 1.

The block units are jointed by the interengagement of the respectivetongues and grooves it, I9, l and 20. As the grooves 15 and 20 are ofstandard depth the tongues 14 and 19 must be of standard length beyondthe resilient strips l6 and 2|. The tenons l3 and I3 are in consequencecut longer than standard to accommodate the strips of resilient materialand it is in this respect that the invention provides a means ofadvantageously disposing of waste short end strips from standardflooring. Such short lengths can be cut to provide the requisite tenonlength without sacrifice of valuable flooring, as it is not feasible toprovide side tenoning of this character on standard flooring. Prior tothe advent of this invention the short lengths remaining from themanufacture of standard flooring strips have been largely deemed wasteand a drug on the market.

In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 8 the block units 22and 23 are in all respects structurally identical with the previouslydescribed block units and I1 except that the blocks are made squareincluding the resilient strips 24 and 25 of the respective blocks. It isobvious from an inspection of Figure 8 that the border line continuityof the blocks will be staggered at block corners, presenting an entirelydifferent flooring surface effect than as seen in Figure 1.

In some instances, where a high degree of fiooringexpansion is to beencountered it is advisable to provide resilient strips 26 as shown inFigure 6, wherein the width of the strips is greater between the blockunits 10 and I1 than as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The tenon 21 isproportionately lengthened in this form.

The alternative embodiment as shown in Figure 7 differs from thepreviously described forms only withrespect to the resilient members. Inthis form the resilient members between blocks l0 and I1 comprisesuperposed strips 28 and 29 seated on the tenon. In such case the upperstrip required edges.

spouses 28 is of contrast color while the lower, 23, is neutral.

In some instances of flooring block manufacture all four sides of theblocks are grooved and factory finished with inserted tongues on theSuch a construction is contemplated in the embodiment illustrated inFigures 10 to 13.

In this form a block 30 is made up of sections 30a, factory united andgrooved as at 3| on all 10 four edges. Tongue strips 32 are seated andrigidly secured in the grooves of two opposite edges. These tonguestrips are appreciably wider than standard tongues in order to provideseats for strips of resilient material 33 cemented or otherwise suitablysecured on the upper face of each tongue strip and contacting the blockedge face. The resilient strips 33 are preferably rectangular incross-section and project at each end beyond the block edge face adistance equal to their width. The tongue strips 32 are madesubstantially coextensive therewith to support the resilient materialfrom end to end.

In conjunction with a block unit such as 30 there is employed anothertype of block unit, shown in Figure 11. Such a block 33 consists ofsections 34a grooved as at 35 on all four edges and factory finishedwith inserted tongue strips 36 in the grooves of two opposite edges.These tongue strips, as in the case of the tongue strips 32, form seatsfor attached strips 31 of resilient material which contact the adjacentblock edge face and which terminate at their ends flush with the opengrooved block edge faces.

The tongue strips 36 are not coextensive with the resilient members 31as their length is slightly less than the distance between the bottomsof the open grooves on the other two edges of the block. In all otherrespects they are identical to the tongues 32. By virtue of suchconstruction as the block units are assembled, the short tongues 36 seatin the adjacent block unit groove 3| between the projecting ends of thetongues 32, with the projecting ends of the resilient strips 33overlapping the ends of strips 31.

As will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 13, the interengagementof the tongues 32 and 36 at their ends provides a support for theresilient strips 33 and 31 throughout the entire extent of these stripson all edges of each block unit so that there can be no sagging ordepression of the resilient material between or at the corners of blockunits.

The block units are laid in the manner detailed in connection with theblock units I0 and i1. and 22 and 23.

The application of the coextensive tongue support principle isobtainable in, the case of the block units l0, I1, 22 and 23 byappropriately diminishing the length of the tongues I3.

I claim:

1. A flooring unit comprising a wooden block having two faces thereofdisposed across the grain, and expansion compensating means attachedtosaid block and forming a part thereof across each of said cross grainfaces.

2. In a wooden floor block, a tenon extending from a face thereof inline longitudinally with the grain, and a member formed of compressiblematerial seated on said tenon and contacting the block face throughoutits extent crosswise of the grain.

3. A flooring unit comprising a wooden block having a face thereofdisposed across the grain, a tongue extending from said face, a strip of75 compressible material covering the block face above. said tongue, andsaid tongue being of standard width beyond said strip.

4. A block unit for flooring, comprising a wooden block provided with atongue extending from an edge thereof, a strip of compressible materialrectangular in cross-section and seated on said tongue against the blockedge, said strip extending over the extent of the block edge andprojecting at each end a distance equal to the width of the strip.

5. A floor block comprising waste short end sections of standard tongueand groove flooring strips united to form a unit, the ends of suchsections being cut to form wide tongues, and the ends of the blockassembled sections being covered with cork strips seated on the wide endtongues and of a width sufficient to leave the remainder of the tongueof standard width.

6. A block unit for flooring, comprising a wooden'block provided with atongue extending i from an edge face thereof, a strip of compressiblematerial seated on said tongue against the block edge face, said stripextending over the entire block edge face above the tongue andprojecting at each end a distance equal to the width of the strip, andsaid tongue having a length coextensive with the strip.

'7. A block unit for flooring, comprising a wooden blockprovided withopen grooves in two opposite edge faces thereof, a tongue extending fromanother edge face of the block and terminating short of the open groovebottoms,.and

a strip of compressible material seated on said tongue against the upperportion of the edge face of the block and terminating at its ends flushwith the open grooved edge faces of the block.

BYRD C. ROCKWELL.

